NAIA women's basketball championship
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2022 NAIA Women's Basketball Tournament
SportBasketball
Founded1981
MottoPassion. Tradition. History.
Divisions1
2 (1992–2020)
No. of teams64
32 (1992–2020)
CountryUnited States
Venue(s)Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark; Tyson Events Center (2004–2022)
Most recent
champion(s)
Clarke
Most titlesD-I: Oklahoma City (9)
D-II: Northwestern (IA) (5)
Single division: Southwestern Oklahoma State (6)
TV partner(s)ESPN 3 (national)
Related
competitions
NAIA Men's Basketball Championships
Official websitenaia.org/sports/wbkb

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball national championship has been held annually since 1981. The NAIA Women's Tournament was established one year before the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament. It was created to crown a women's national title for smaller colleges and universities. From 1992 to 2020, the NAIA sponsored a women's division II championship tournament. The entire tournament is played in Sioux City, Iowa. Prior to the merger of D-I and D-II, a separate Division I tournament was held in Billings, Montana, while the Division II tournament was in Sioux City. Contracts for host cities for both divisions initially expired in 2017. Following renewals, the 2018 and 2019 tournaments were held in the same cities, but in 2020, the tournaments were called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Results

Single division (1981–1991)

For the first eleven years that the NAIA sponsored women's basketball, it held a single national championship for all programs across its entire membership. The tournament field was initially set at eight before later expansions to 16 and 32 teams.

NAIA Women's Basketball Championship
Year Arena Location Championship Third-place game
Champion Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place
1981
Details
Kansas City, MissouriVenue Unknown Kentucky State73–67Texas Southern Northern State74–65Azusa Pacific
1982
Details
SW Oklahoma State80–45Missouri Southern State Saginaw Valley State71–61Berry
1983
Details
SW Oklahoma State (2)80–68Alabama–Huntsville UMKC85–65Portland
1984
Details
Cedar Rapids, Iowa UNC Asheville72–70 (OT)Portland Dillard70–66Berry
1985
Details
SW Oklahoma State (3)55–54Saginaw Valley State Wayland Baptist70–64Midland Lutheran
1986
Details
Kansas City, Missouri Francis Marion75–65Wayland Baptist Louisiana College85–78Georgia Southwestern
1987
Details
SW Oklahoma State (4)60–58North Georgia Wisconsin–Green Bay82–56Arkansas Tech
1988
Details
Oklahoma City113–95Claflin Arkansas Tech86–81
(OT)
Wingate
1989
Details
Southern Nazarene98–96Claflin Arkansas Tech & St. Ambrose
1990
Details
Jackson, TennesseeOman Arena SW Oklahoma State (5)82–75Arkansas–Monticello Claflin & St. Ambrose
1991
Details
Fort Hays State57–53SW Oklahoma State Claflin & IUPUI

Division I (1992–2020)

The NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament was most recently held at the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in Billings, Montana, which hosted from 2017 until the return to a single division after the 2019–20 season.[1] The NAIA was the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America; the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship was the first championship to feature a college from outside the United States in the championship game. Former member Simon Fraser University was the national DI runner-up in 1996 and 1997. Oklahoma City University has the most tournament championships with 9, and most championship game appearances with 11.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
Year Arena Location Championship Semifinalists
Champion Score Runner-up
1992
Details
Oman ArenaJackson, Tennessee Arkansas Tech84–68Wayland Baptist St. Edward's (TX) & SW Oklahoma State
1993
Details
Arkansas Tech (2)76–75Union (TN) Southern Nazarene & SW Oklahoma State
1994
Details
Southern Nazarene (2)97–74David Lipscomb Auburn Montgomery & Montevallo
1995
Details
Southern Nazarene (3)78–77SE Oklahoma State Lipscomb & SW Oklahoma State
1996
Details
Southern Nazarene (4)80–79SE Oklahoma State Lipscomb & Union (TN)
1997
Details
Southern Nazarene (5)78–73Union (TN) Arkansas Tech & SW Oklahoma State
1998
Details
Union (TN)73–70Southern Nazarene Findlay & Simon Fraser
1999
Details
Oklahoma City (2)72–55Simon Fraser Freed-Hardeman & Southern Nazarene
2000
Details
Oklahoma City (3)64–55Simon Fraser (B.C.) Findlay & Southern Nazarene
2001
Details
Oklahoma City (4)69–52Auburn Montgomery Lewis–Clark State & Southern Nazarene
2002
Details
Oklahoma City (5)82–73Southern Nazarene Central State (OH) & Union (TN)
2003
Details
Southern Nazarene (6)71–70Oklahoma City USAO & Vanguard
2004
Details
Southern Nazarene (7)77–61Oklahoma City Brescia & Houston Baptist
2005
Details
Union (TN) (2)67–63Oklahoma City Houston Baptist & Point Loma Nazarene
2006
Details
Union (TN) (3)79–62Lubbock Christian The Master's & Vanguard
2007
Details
Lambuth63–50Cumberland Union (TN) & Vanguard
2008
Details
Vanguard72–59Trevecca Nazarene Freed-Hardeman & Union (TN)
2009
Details
Union (TN) (4)73–63Lambuth Oklahoma Baptist & Oklahoma City
2010
Details
Union (TN) (5)73–65Azusa Pacific Lee (TN) & Oklahoma City
2011
Details
Azusa Pacific65–59Union (TN) Freed-Hardeman & Shawnee State
2012
Details
Frankfort Convention CenterFrankfort, Kentucky Oklahoma City (6)69–48Union (TN) Georgetown (KY) & Lubbock Christian
2013
Details
Westmont71–65Lee (TN) Cumberland & Freed-Hardeman
2014
Details
Oklahoma City (7)80–76Freed-Hardeman[2] John Brown & Wiley
2015
Details
Independence Events CenterIndependence, Missouri[3] Oklahoma City (8)80–63Campbellsville Freed-Hardeman & Westmont
2016
Details
MidAmerica Nazarene49–35Baker[4] Benedictine (KS) & Pikeville
2017
Details
Rimrock Auto ArenaBillings, Montana Oklahoma City (9)73–66Lewis-Clark State Campbellsville & Vanguard
2018
Details
Freed-Hardeman76–64Westmont[5] Montana Western & Wayland Baptist
2019
Details
Montana Western75–59Oklahoma City Our Lady of the Lake & Freed-Hardeman
2020
Details
No tournament due to COVID-19.

Single division (2021–present)

In 2018, the NAIA announced a new format for the 2021 tournament after the merger of Divisions I and II.

NAIA Women's Basketball Championship
Year Arena Location Championship Semifinalists
Champion Score Runner-up
2021
Details
Tyson Events CenterSioux City, Iowa[6] Westmont (2)72–61Thomas More Indiana Wesleyan & Morningside
2022
Details
Thomas More77–65Dordt Central Methodist & Southeastern (FL)
2023
Details
Clarke63–52Thomas More Central Methodist & Dakota State
2024
Details
To be played

Champions

  • Division II titles are not included in this list. Schools in italics are no longer in the NAIA.
TeamChampionshipsWinning years
Oklahoma City91988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
Southern Nazarene71989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004
Southwestern Oklahoma State51982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990
Union (TN)51998, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010
Westmont22013, 2021
Arkansas Tech21992, 1993
Kentucky State11981
UNC Asheville11984
Francis Marion11986
Fort Hays State11991
Lambuth12007
Vanguard12008
Azusa Pacific12011
MidAmerica Nazarene12016
Freed–Hardeman12018
Montana Western12019
Thomas More12022
Clarke12023
  • Schools highlighted in pink are closed or no longer sponsor athletics.
  • Schools highlight in yellow have reclassified athletics from the NAIA.

See also

References

  1. NAIA Women's DI History
  2. "Oklahoma City Wins Seventh NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship". NAIA. March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  3. "Oklahoma City Wins Back-to-Back Titles". NAIA. March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  4. "MidAmerica Nazarene wins its first ever National Championship". NAIA. March 22, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. "After 21 Trips, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) Wins National Championship". NAIA. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  6. "Sioux City selected to host 2021 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship". KTIV.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
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